


december 2017

by loonyBibliophile



Series: new traditions (a life for you and me) [4]
Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Christmas, Cuddling, Found Family, Gen, Multi, Recreational Marijuana, batty indulges in west coast bughead bullshit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-23
Updated: 2018-12-23
Packaged: 2019-09-25 08:25:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,254
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17117870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loonyBibliophile/pseuds/loonyBibliophile
Summary: “Betts?” he says quietly. She glances up at him, her eyes blank, gnawing on her thumbnail. Jughead frowned and reached over and pulled her thumb down, wrapping her hand in his.“I have to call my mom, because it’s the day after Thanksgiving, so she’ll be planning Christmas, so I have to tell her I’m not coming, and she’s going to start sighing and carrying on, and I’m going to cave, because that’s what I do around my mother.” She huffed out finally.(Betty and Jughead celebrate Christmas on their own terms. Read previous works in series)





	december 2017

part 1: still november 2017

When Jughead wakes up the morning after Thanksgiving, Betty is already awake, sitting at the breakfast bar and staring at her phone with a half drunk cup of coffee next to her. She does not say hello or good morning while he’s making his way to the fridge, which strikes him as unusual. Betty just sits quietly, lifting a thumb to her face, and stares and stares and stares. 

“Betts?” he says quietly. She glances up at him, her eyes blank, gnawing on her thumbnail. Jughead frowned and reached over and pulled her thumb down, wrapping her hand in his. 

“I have to call my mom, because it’s the day after Thanksgiving, so she’ll be planning Christmas, so I have to tell her I’m not coming, and she’s going to start sighing and carrying on, and I’m going to cave, because that’s what I do around my mother.” She huffed out finally. 

“Give me five minutes.” Jughead said, squeezing her hand. Betty looked at him questioningly, but he just waved her off and set to work making a cup of coffee. Once he was finished, he sat down in the stool next to Betty. 

“Would it be okay if I talked to her on speaker, and you held my hands?” Betty asked nervously, chewing her lower lip “I don’t want to hurt myself.” 

“Of course.” Jughead nodded, looking at her softly. Betty sighed and shook her hands out, flexing her fingers a few times. 

“This is going to suck.” she said simply, before hitting the dial button and turning on speakerphone. Jughead slipped his hands over hers, pressing their palms together as Betty squirmed in her seat as the phone rang. 

“Elizabeth!” Alice said, voice full of false cheer, from the other end of the phone. 

“Hello mom.” Betty said, careful to keep her voice even. 

“To what do I owe this rare pleasure?”

“I need to talk to you about something.” Betty squeezed Jughead’s hands, and he rubbed the sides of her hands with his thumbs. 

“Of course, Elizabeth. I was going to call later today anyway, to discuss the holidays.”

“That’s what this is about, actually. I’m not coming to Cooper Christmas.” Betty held her breath as she finished the sentence, and Jughead just kept rubbing her skin with his thumbs. 

“What?” Alice’s voice was ice. 

“I’m not coming at all, actually. I’m spending my break from school here, in Portland.” Betty bit her lip and Jughead gave her a silent look, shaking his head. She let her lip fall from her mouth, and he smiled, squeezing her right hand. 

“Excuse me?” Alice’s voice became even colder, somehow. 

“I think it would be better for me to stay here. With my friends. I can focus on work, and school.” 

“Holidays are meant to be spent with your family, Elizabeth Ann.” Alice said harshly. Betty looked over at Jughead, who had a soft, sympathetic look in his eyes. He ran his thumb along the line of scars on Betty’s palm. 

“It’s okay.” he said, so softly it barely made a sound. But Alice heard him anyway, somehow.

“What was that? Betty, is someone listening in on our private conversation?” 

“My roommate Jughead is with me.” Betty said carefully, mouthing an apology at Jughead. He shook his head, mouthing a return apology.

“Is that the hooligan with the hat you’re always posting pictures with? I don’t approve of him, Elizabeth. None of your… Portland friends seem very savory. Are you sure you don’t want to transfer to NYU and come home, sweetheart?”

Betty’s hands tensed, and Jughead frowned, Alice’s words striking a nerve with both of them. 

“Regardless of your opinions, mother,” Betty said tightly “I am staying in Portland, with my friends. Just like I told you.”

“And I told you holidays are meant to be spent with your family, Elizabeth!” Alice snapped. 

“I am! I am spending Christmas with my family! These people care about me. And they care about who I am, not who they want me to be.”

“Oh please, Elizabeth.” Alice drawled, and Betty could just _hear_ her rolling her eyes. “Everyone is always going to have expectations for you. People are looking for tools, nothing more. And I’m sure that grunge punk boy is merely trying to sleep with you.”

“Jughead is my best friend, mom! You can’t talk about people like this; you can’t keep doing this. I have a life that doesn’t include you, or dad, or the Evernevers, or any of your weird bullshit! Jughead is my family, and Cheryl, and Veronica, and Kevin, and Joaquin. And until you can accept that, I don’t think I want to talk to you.” Betty practically shouted, before pulling one of her hands from Jughead’s and ending the call. She took a deep breath, and for a moment it looked like she might calm down, but then she burst into tears. Carefully, Jughead pulled her from her stool and to her feet, and then over to him, shuffling her between his knees so he could wrap his arms around her in a tight hug. She curled her fists into his shirt and buried her face in his shoulder while he rubbed gentle circles into her back.

“I don’t know why I keep hoping something is going to be different. Every time I talk to her, or dad, or even my sister, I get this stupid bubble of hope in my chest, thinking maybe, this time, they’ll be different. I’m always wrong. I don’t know why I still bother.” Betty managed finally, sniffling into the collar of Jughead’s flannel shirt. 

“I understand. I do the same thing with my dad. Every time he cleans up his act, stops drinking for a few weeks, starts calling me and JB, I think ‘this is it, he did it this time’. But, like always, the calls stop coming and I find out he’s drinking again and JB is in tears and I’m just… disappointed.” Jughead spoke softly, moving one hand up to stroke Betty’s hair. 

“Our families are the worst, Juggie.” Betty whined pitifully, finally looking up at him. Her eyes were red and puffy, and there were tear tracks on her cheeks, her long eyelashes pulled to starry points by all her tears. 

“Well, that’s why we’re doing this, isn’t it? We’re making new traditions, new lives…. new families. We don’t have to be our parents, Betty. We can choose to be better.” Jughead continued gently, using his thumb to rub the tears from Betty’s flushed cheeks. She nodded, hiccuping slightly as she did, and her eyes went soft as she continued to look at him. 

“I think you’re already doing a pretty good job of doing better, Jug.” she said quietly, offering him a small smile. He swallowed heavily, nodding, not trusting himself to say anything. She just continued to look at him, and then blushed, glancing away before leaning into his chest again, wrapping him in a tight hug. 

“You too, Betts.” he said finally, voice low and rough. She has her head tucked under his chin, and he takes a calculated risk, pressing a feather-light kiss to the crown of her head. She responds by giving him another squeeze before finally letting go of him. 

“Do you want to invite JB to come spend Christmas with us?” Betty asked suddenly, glancing up at Jughead. 

“Oh, um. I hadn’t thought of that.” Jughead blinked, looking slightly panicked. 

“You don’t have to! Obviously! I just, you talk about her a lot, and I know you care about her and worry about her, so I thought, maybe–” Betty was babbling now, her eyes blown wide, and Jughead squeezed her shoulders reassuringly. 

“It’s a good idea, Betty. I’ll talk to Gladys, see if we can work something out. It would be good to see her, and I know she’d love to meet you.” Jughead smiled softly again, rubbing Betty’s upper arm. She beamed at him. 

“I’d love to meet her too. She sounds just like you.” Betty gave Jughead one last hug before finally stepping back, leaning back up onto her own stool. 

“Thank you.” she said quietly, looking over at him shyly before taking a sip of her coffee. He shrugged, smiling at her in that sideways way of his. 

“Anything for you, Betts. You know that.” 

“I’d do anything for you too, Juggie.” her voice is practically a whisper, and she leans over and presses a kiss to his jaw. “I have homework to do, and I don’t want to brave the black Friday masses, but do you want to maybe come with me to look for decorations tomorrow? We can bring Veronica and Cheryl, they both love holidays and will probably foot the bill. And we can get lunch.”

“Sounds like a plan. If you plan on going to Target, which you will, because I know you, I want to have lunch at the Virginia Cafe. I love that place.” Jughead sighed wistfully. 

“Ooh, that sounds good, actually. I’ll text them, and we’ll make plans. For now, Ondaatje is calling me, and I must heed him.” Betty said with a laugh, sliding down from her stool to head to her room. 

“If you need a break, or company, I will be out here, on the sofa, continuing my Windwaker marathon.” Jughead offered, before picking up his coffee mug and going to plop down on the sofa. 

Cheryl and Veronica had been more than willing to come Christmas decoration shopping with them, on one condition. The event was now to be a two day endeavor; one day in Portland proper, hitting up Target, the malls, and stationary stores, and then Sunday they would all drive to the coast to go to some year-round Christmas store Cheryl loved called Tiptons. 

“It’s amazing. They have the most beautiful old world glass ornaments, and a lot of decorations and candles and other holiday baubles made by local businesses and artisans. And the place smells like a Christmas dream.” Cheryl explained as the four of them sped along the tracks of the MAX Saturday morning, all clutching coffees. 

 

“We stopped there last year, when we went on that little mini trip before winter break. It’s precious.” Veronica added with a nod, taking a sip of her latte. 

“I’m down, but I’m not driving, and we’re not taking my car.” Jughead said, shrugging. 

“As if I would want to spend upwards of three hours to the coast and back in your beater truck, Jones.” Cheryl rolled her eyes. 

“Hey! I take very good care of Bertha.” Betty said, crossing her arms and looking indignant in defense of Jughead’s old truck. “But one of your guys’ cars would probably be more comfortable taking a four person day trip, that I agree with.”

“It was my idea, so I’ll drive.” Cheryl offered. “It’s only fair, and my car has seat warmers, and it is most definitely getting chilly.” 

“I won’t argue with that. Your car is the best for sleeping.” Jughead said. 

“Do we want to do a real tree, or a fake tree?” Betty asked thoughtfully, watching the damp city roll by as they approached the heart of downtown. 

“Well, a fake tree is more practical, but a real tree smells better and is more authentic. There are compelling arguments for both sides.” Jughead mused out loud, eyes glittering as he tapped his chin in exaggerated thought. “Seriously, Betts, we can do whichever. We usually had a fake when we still bothered, but I have no real preference either way.”

“I think I’d rather have a real tree, honestly. Oh, and speaking of trees, do we all want to go to the tree lighting in Pioneer Square when it happens? We could invite Joaquin and Kevin, too. I think it would be nice.” Betty’s eyes lit up, and Veronica shot her a look, complete with perfectly arched eyebrow. 

“Ah yes, the classic triple date.” Cheryl said glibly, looking between Betty and Jughead, who said nothing. 

“That sounds fun.” Jughead said finally, after several moments of awkward silence. Betty stares down at her toes, nodding. Veronica elbow Cheryl in the side, and Cheryl pouts, crossing her arms and glaring at her girlfriend. Veronica hissed something about ‘going too far’ and then wrapped Cheryl’s arms around her waist. 

Sometime later, Betty had a heavy bag from Powell’s hanging from her arm as she leaned into the wall at a stationary store, squinting at their selection of old fashioned hidden window advent calendars. Cheryl and Veronica were at the desk, chatting with a young woman there about cardstock options for party invitations. Jughead is lurking in a back corner, keeping one eye on Betty, and another eye on a stack of locally made journals. There was a particular one on top of the stack, handbound with a cover made of a vintage map embossed with gold, and a blue suede ribbon to mark your spot. He was trying to figure out how he could sneak up front and buy it without Betty seeing him. Preferably Cheryl or Veronica wouldn’t see him either, because if they did it would be a whole thing, but it seemed unavoidable. He picked up the journal, holding it behind his back, and quickly set it on the counter. 

“Excuse me,” Jughead said quietly to the cashier “Could you help me with this before my roommate by the calendars sees me?” he smiled at her, and the young woman in glasses nodded, picking up the journal and putting it in a brown paper bag, ringing him out quickly. 

“I’m sure your girlfriend will love it.” she smiled sweetly, handing Jughead his change. Cheryl snorted, and Jughead simply blushed and stammered for a moment, before nodding and walking away. 

“Guard this for me please. Just, be calm about this okay?” he says to Veronica, giving her a look as he sips the journal into one of her bags. Her eyes twinkle mischievously, but she puts a finger to her lips and nods. 

“Juggie,” Betty calls, waving him over “Do you have any feelings about The Night Before Christmas?”

Later that afternoon they jam into a booth at the Virginia Cafe, all the shopping bags stashed beneath their feet. Cheryl is drinking some high end hot cider flavored with maple syrup while Veronica sips on a hot coffee with a shot of brandy. Jughead sticks to stealing sips of Betty’s cocktail between cups of black coffee. It’s some peppermint schnapps hot chocolate thing with homemade whipped cream, and it’s making her flushed and giggly. When they leave the cafe, full of the Virginia’s specialty london broil, she wraps her hands around his elbow, huddling into him against the cold as the head to the MAX line. On the ride back to their apartment, Veronica and Cheryl remain blissfully silent on the physical proximity of Jughead and Betty, instead talking quietly with Betty about when the best weekend to head down to the coast was. Phone calendars are checked, and plans are made to meet up early next Saturday for the drive down to Seaside. 

When they all arrive at the apartment, Kevin is nowhere to be seen, and Veronica and Cheryl slip silently into Veronica’s room, leaving their bags on the floor by the sofa. Betty deposits hers as well, then grabs a book from the coffee table and curls up under a blanket. Jughead smiles, and quietly pulls his paper bag from Veronica and Cheryl’s packages so he can safely slip it into his closet for later. Then, he heads back for the living room and turns on the tv monitor, booting up his current Wind Waker save file and playing with the volume on low while Betty reads. 

part 2: december 2017

Betty wakes up at 7am on December 2nd, sleepy but pleasantly excited for a day trip with Jughead and the girls. It had been awhile since she’d been down to the coast, since she was usually too busy for the hour and a half drive, plus traffic, or the minimum two hour bus ride. Before she gets out of bed, she checks the weather on her phone. Cold and rainy, both in Portland and Seaside, which was admittedly par for the course for December in coastal Oregon. From her closet, she pulls out her favorite holiday cardigan. It’s red knit, with a decorative white patch around the chest and shoulders patterned with vintage ornament shapes. She also grabs one of her collared dresses. It’s a simple black and white dress, but she’d fixed the collar up last year to be more festive, by embroidering little gold snowflakes on it and adding a few jingle bells. Tights and shoes would be simple enough, so she knocked on Jughead’s door to stir him, and headed for the kitchen to make coffee. 

When Jughead emerged from his room about ten minutes later, Betty had made both of their cups of coffee. Jughead’s sat steaming on the counter next to a chocolate chip muffin. Betty had hers with her at the table, along with a banana and a carton of yogurt. 

“Morning, sleepyhead.” she said playfully, smiling over at Jughead. He grumbled and rolled his eyes. 

“Hey, some of us were up late last night working on finals.” Jughead whined, picking up his breakfast and taking it over to the table. 

“It’s your own fault for putting off editing that footage for so long, Jug. I’ve been telling you to work on it for weeks.” Betty shook her head, waggling her finger at Jughead accusingly. His only response was to flip her off, then down half his coffee in one gulp. Betty grimaced. “Gross.”

“Well, I think that concoction you’re sipping is an offense to nature so, we’re even.” Jughead raised an eyebrow, smirking as he nodded his head at Betty’s coffee, which she’d added white chocolate peppermint creamer to. Betty shrugged. 

“I was feeling festive.” she says in her own defense. 

“Speaking of being festive, I’ve been thinking about your suggestion I invite JB here for the holidays and I was wondering… would it be alright if I invited my mom too?” Jughead’s voice was quiet and cautious as he asked, and Betty tilted her head at him curiously. 

“Of course it is, Juggie. I’m just never quite sure where you stand with your mom from day to day, so I don’t usually bring her up.” Betty reached over, rubbing Jughead’s shoulder. 

“It’s complicated but we’ve been… trying, I guess. Lately, anyway. When I was younger I was really pissed at her for how she handled things, and wanted her to be something better than she was. But now that I’m older, that I’ve seen more of what my dad’s like and what life is like, it’s different. I’m not saying she never did things wrong, but she tried. She’s still trying.” Jughead shrugs, looking uncertain and insecure. Betty scoots her chair over to him, and puts an arm around his shoulders before leaning her head against him. 

“I get it.” she says softly, thumb rubbing circles into his shoulder “That’s kind of how I feel about my sister, too. For a long time I wanted her to have done more to help me, but eventually I realized she was trapped too.”

“You don’t talk about her very much.” Jughead said, leaning his head against Betty’s. 

“Well, as a wise man in a stupid hat once said, it’s complicated.” she smiled up at him wryly, and he rolled his eyes. 

“I’ll call them up tomorrow. It’ll be too late over on the east coast by the time we get back tonight.” Jughead took a moment, enjoying the soft curtain of Betty’s hair under his chin, then pressed a kiss to the crown of her head in a moment of uncharacteristic bravery before rising to his feet. “Guess I better get dressed before the cavalry arrives.” 

Betty had been on the drive from Portland to Seaside a handful of times, and it was always beautiful, especially when the first touches of snow had come down in the mountains. She stared out the window of Cheryl’s red Escalade as they drove down US 26, watching the endless evergreens wind along the road as they approached the coast. Jughead was seated on the other side of the car, behind Veronica, and he was snoozing against the window, a dark red hoodie balled up under his head like a pillow. Smiling, Betty snapped a picture of him to post to instagram later. Just a little harmless holiday fun. 

Seaside was drizzly and grey, but the lamp posts were all wrapped in red and green lights, topped with big gold sea stars. Betty had nudged Jughead awake as they pulled into the big parking lot behind the convention center, and he immediately demanded lunch. Everyone rolled their eyes, but headed in the direction of their favorite downtown restaurant, a little yellow sandwich shop that served tater tots with their food instead of fries. Once everyone was happily stuffed, they headed down the main street. Jughead and Betty trailed behind Cheryl and Veronica, who were holding hands and chatting quietly to each other, their arms swinging between them. Betty smiled. 

“I’m glad they’re so happy.” she said quietly, leaning closer to Jughead so the couple wouldn’t hear them. He nodded, smirking slightly. 

“Yeah. They’re good for each other, somehow. And I think Toni helps too. Do you know why she didn’t come today?” Jughead asked, glancing either way before they crossed the street. 

“Couldn’t get her shift swapped at work.” Betty answered, frowning sympathetically. 

“That sucks.” Jughead wrinkled his nose and shook his head. Betty nodded, gradually coming to a halt as Cheryl and Veronica slowed down. In front of them was a black and gold storefront, with a sign that said ‘Tipton’s’ in old fashioned lettering. The store, which was cramped and coated with glitter and tinsel, smelled like pine needles and the kind of perfume rich old women always wear. The four friends spent close to an hour in the tiny shop, and walked out with an entire apartment’s worth of vintage christmas decor, thanks to Cheryl’s black AmEx card. Dinner was debated as they made their way to the car, but with a storm looking like it was rolling in over the ocean, everyone decided to just get on the road and get home before the rains and wind hit. So they loaded the decorations into the back of the car, all the while making plans for when they’d go pick up a tree. On the drive home, Betty and Jughead both slept. After Cheryl dropped them off, Jughead settled wordlessly onto the sofa, and Betty headed into the kitchen. One of her favorite things about the friendship she shared with Jughead was their ability to do nothing together, their ability to predict each other’s needs and moods. 

While Jughead set to work on his laptop, sitting smack in the middle of the sofa, Betty made two mugs of hot chocolate. Outside the apartment, the rain and wind were picking up, and the wintery weather put her in the mood for a hot drink. She knew Jughead would appreciate too, so she stirred milk on the stove as she listened to the patter of the rain and the clack of Jughead’s fingers against his keyboard. It’s a soothing sound, at this point. Jughead has steadily become the background radiation of Betty’s life. His rattling keyboard, his quiet sighs, the soft sound of him tugging his old worn beanie over his dark hair. He looked up, smiling at her, when he must have heard the hiss of the whipped cream can. 

One at a time, Betty carries the mugs over, settling them on the coffee table. She walks across the room briefly, staring down at the bookshelf they keep by the tv stand, eyes skimming until a book of essays catches her interest. She takes it back to the sofa and sits down to Jughead’s left, leaning in close to him and opening the book. From time to time she glanced at Jughead’s screen, checking up on whatever he happened to be writing, until the later hours of the night, when she slowly started to doze off, head lolling against the solid warmth of Jughead’s shoulder. 

The lead up to Christmas over the next few weeks was a never ending whirlwind. Finals were turned in, the apartment was decorated, Jughead had a very long and emotional conversation with his mom and sister and finally convinced them yes, he could afford to fly them out, and made plans for Christmas. A tree was bought and decorated. Betty baked more kinds of cookies than she could count, and very studiously ignored her mother’s phone calls and Facebook messages. Somehow, before any of them knew it, it was December 22nd. With Jughead’s mom and sister coming in the 23rd, and everyone leaving the next day to see their families, the 22nd had been assigned as the night for the apartment Christmas party. Everyone they knew was there, even people Betty and Jughead could usually do without, like Reggie Mantle and Moose Mason. 

Regardless of the crowded apartment, the party was going pretty well. Toni had brought brownies, and more or less everyone was stoned. Betty was curled on the couch with a tub of popcorn, watching intently as Jughead and Archie played a game of Mario Party. Every once in awhile, she’d lean over and whisper in Jughead’s ear to give him advice, much to Archie’s chagrin. She wanted to help, of course, but if she was being honest, Betty was mostly doing it because she liked the way Jughead’s cheeks turned pink when her lips brushed against his ear, or his sideburn, and she was too stoned to care about what that meant. As Jughead and Archie’s game continues, the hour grows later, and people start to leave, until it’s just the inner circle remaining, spread lazily over the floor and furniture, Christmas music playing low on Jughead’s record player. Records were the only way he would agree to holiday music, but Betty actually liked the scratchy quality with the old jazzy Christmas songs, so she wasn’t complaining. By the time Jughead finally beat Archie’s ass, it was after midnight. 

“I’m going to bed.” Jughead announced, dropping the controller into the couch cushions. “Night, assholes.” he said to the room, not without affection. 

“I’ll go to.” Betty added, popping the lid on the metal tub of popcorn and following after him. Instead of turning when she reached her door, she simply slipped into Jughead’s room behind him. She was sleepy, and warm, and stoned, and she didn’t want to go lay alone in her cold bed. She wanted to curl up next to her best friend and sleep knowing he was right there, just a hand width away. 

“Betts?” Jughead asked, turning to look at her. His voice had the low, rough quality it only ever had when he was tired and stoney, and it made Betty feel pleasantly warm. 

“Can I sleep here?” she asked, blinking up at him. Jughead smiled softly. 

“Course.” he murmured. 

The party had been casual, so they were both already in comfy, sleepable clothes, so there was no real reason to change before they crawled into the mess of blankets and books Jughead called a bed. Once he was settled in, Betty curled up behind him, slipping her toes between his legs and pressing her face into the warm expanse of his back. In the living room, music was still playing quietly, and Betty could hear the low tones of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” through the walls. She smiled, pressing closer to Jughead as she quietly hummed along with the song until she slowly drifted off into sleep. 

While Jughead and Betty stood at the airport the next morning, waiting on Gladys and JB, Betty could feel herself vibrating with nervous energy. Between having woken up In Jughead’s bed, with his arms wrapped around her, and now waiting to meet members of his family, her anxiety was having a field day. Plus, she was anxious for Jughead too. It had been awhile since he saw anyone in his family, even the people he ostensibly got along with. Then, suddenly, a girl with dark hair, tied up in a bandana, was hurtling towards Jughead at full speed.

“Jug!” the girl shouted, immediately before all but slamming into him and grabbing him in a hug. This, Betty assumed, was his younger sister JB. That would make the woman walking steadily behind her wearing a newsboy cap and carrying the bags Gladys, Jughead’s mom. Betty took a moment to wander what is was with this family and head accessories, and then just shook her head and put on her meeting people smile. Then she immediately dropped her meeting people smile, because it was a painfully Cooper thing to do, and settled for her normal, every day grin. 

“Hi, I’m Betty.” she offered, waving at both women. JB rolled her eyes and let go of Jughead to move onto Betty, pulling her into a hug too. 

“I know who you are! You’re my brother’s best friend!” JB grinned. 

“And you’re Jellybean, though I’m told I should call you JB.” Betty said with another smile and a nod. 

“And I’m Gladys, Jug’s mom.” Gladys said with a nod, offering Betty a cautious smile and and a handshake, before turning to hug her son. 

“Hey mom.” Jughead said quietly. 

“Good to see you, kid.” Gladys nodded again. 

“You guys hungry?” Betty asked, looking around “You’re related to Jughead, so I admit I’m assuming, but,”

“Oh, always.” JB said, smirking. 

“Well then, I know just the place.” Betty gave Jughead a look, and with them in the lead, the group started out of the Portland airport. With JB and Gladys’ bags loaded into Jughead’s truck, they headed to one of the bigger parking lots in downtown Portland, and then made their way on foot to the Roxy. From the back of the diner, hanging over the jukebox, the statue of a crucified Jesus with a neon lit halo greeted them as they entered the dimly lit restaurant. The four shared a long meal, and Betty could feel the nervous energy leaving Jughead’s body as things kept going well. She only hoped the rest of the holiday would be just as smooth. 

“Do you guys have any Christmas eve traditions?” Betty asked, setting Gladys and JB up in her room later that night. 

“Not really.” Gladys said, looking around. “Say, if we’re stealing your space, where are you staying?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as she turned to look at Betty. Betty did her best to look unaffected. 

“Jug and I are just going to share his room. Originally one of us was going to take the couch, but the glass door just makes the living room too cold to sleep in comfortably in winter, even with the heat on.” 

“Not that it’s any of my business,” Gladys began “Since I was barely around for a long time, but I’m just curious. What exactly is your relationship with my son?”

The question was inquisitive and playful, teasing even, not threatening, but Betty still thought carefully before answering. 

“Jughead is the best thing that has ever happened to me.” Betty said seriously, and decided just to leave it at that. Behind Betty’s back, Gladys smirked knowingly, and JB snickered quietly. 

The next day, Christmas eve, was nothing short of delightful. Portland had one of its rare light snowfalls, so Betty, Jughead, Gladys and JB just stayed in, and Betty fussed around in the kitchen, throwing some snacks together before they all sat down together for a day of movies and video games. Gladys set herself up in the armchair, while Betty, Jug, and JB all got comfortable on the couch, with Jughead sprawled in the middle. Betty sat quietly for much of the day, content to smile and watch Jughead catch up with his sister, and get to know his mother again. JB kicked Jughead’s ass at Mariokart about five times before he finally gave up and demanded they order in dinner, so Betty pulled up grubhub while Jughead scrolled through Netflix. Eventually, after some minor, playful arguments, two decisions were reached. For food, they would just order pizza. For entertainment, they would watch all the holiday specials for the show Bones. 

“Thank you,” Gladys said quietly, halfway through a Hawaiian pizza “For inviting us to spend the holiday with you, Jug. And Betty, of course. It means a lot to me that you were willing to reach out.”

“I’m glad you guys came.” Jughead said, his voice equally quiet, offering a shy smile to his sister and mother in turn. “It was actually Betty’s idea, because of this whole thing we decided to do in January.”

“And what’s that?” Gladys arched an eyebrow curiously. 

“New traditions, for new lives and new families. It’s no secret to you guys things with dad were… difficult. And Betty has her own problems with her family, which aren’t my place to talk about. But now we’re both away at school and living with peope we care about, and we decided to make new traditions, and new memories, so maybe the old stuff stops hurting so much.” Jughead shrugged, uncomfortable with making such an emotional admission. Betty reached over, squeezing Jughead’s knee reassuringly. 

“My parents are um… very religious.” Betty offered with a shrug. “My mother wasn’t very happy I didn’t come home for Christmas. She said holidays are supposed to be spent with family.”

“It seems to me you are spending the holiday with your family.” Gladys said with a gentle smile, inclining her head towards Jughead. 

“That’s what I said.” Betty said with a nod, returning the smile. 

Once they ran out of pizza and Bones holiday specials, they all moved onto cookies and A Christmas Story, and then hot chocolate, more cookies, and A Miracle on 34th Street. Jughead had originally proposed It’s A Wonderful Life, but Betty had vetoed it, claiming it stressed her out. By the time they were finally all tired, it was nearing midnight, and Betty let out a heavy yawn. 

“I should get to sleep.” she said quietly, looking around at everyone. “Gotta wake up and cook at a decent hour.”

“I’ll come with you.” Jughead said with a nod, rising from the couch and turning to his mom and sister. 

“I’m glad you guys could come spend Christmas with Jughead.” Betty smiled, looking from JB to Gladys. JB rolled her eyes. 

“If Jughead’s your family, so are we, Betty. It’s just good to finally meet you instead of just listening to my brother harp on about you over facetime.” JB teased, smirking.

“Hey! Shut up.” Jughead said with a laugh, shoving his sister playfully. JB leaned over, pulling both Betty and Jughead into a hug, and then Gladys did the same. 

“Good night, you two. Merry Christmas.” Gladys said with a nod, patting her son’s face and then Betty’s shoulder. 

Once they’d retreated into Jughead’s bedroom, Betty slipped into the closet to change her clothes. When she emerged, Jughead was laying in bed with his laptop open and a small, wrapped gift. 

“It’s after midnight,” he said quietly “I wanted to give you one of your presents. And I was thinking, before we went to bed, maybe we could watch the Grinch? The cartoon, of course.”

“I think that sounds amazing, Juggie.” Betty said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Hold on, let me go grab one of your gifts too.” 

Betty slipped away, grabbed a box from beneath the tree, and returned, then clambered into bed beside Jughead. He already had the movie pulled up and on pause, and after their gifts changed hands, he pressed play, the introductory music coming softly through the speakers. 

“Open yours first.” she whispered, nodding. Jughead tore into the paper eagerly, a smile spreading across his face when he saw what it was. 

“I can’t believe you found a paper copy of this.” he said, his voice low and awed. “I’ve been looking forever. 

“Red room, Powell’s.” Betty said proudly. Jughead had been looking ever since their first week of classes for a particular book of political essays that was out of print, so when she’d spotted it at their favorite store, she’d grabbed it right away. 

“I love it, Betts. Open yours.” he grinned. 

Betty carefully pried the tape open, one corner at a time, until she revealed the thick paper of the vintage map covering the journal Jughead had bought her. 

“There’s a note.” he said quietly, inviting her to open it. Betty leafed through the high quality pages in silence, then turned back to the front to glance at the note Jughead had scrawled in the front cover. 

_Betts,_

_To new beginnings and happy endings._

_Love,  
Jug_

Betty turned to him, her eyes sparkling with tears, and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. Then she pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek. 

“It’s perfect, Jug.” she whispered, leaning into his shoulder. 

“Merry Christmas, Betts.” he whispered back, smiling at her as he tucked away a strand of her hair. 

“Merry Christmas, Juggie.” she replied, sliding her hand into his before turning her attention to the Grinch and snuggling into the covers.

**Author's Note:**

> this fic has been kicking my ass for a month straight i hope yall like it!!! happy holidays!!! i love you!!!!


End file.
